Thursday, January 5, 2012

Ronald Reagan a man I'm sure the great conservative author and columnist George Will admires, had a saying. "That it's not that people don't know thats the problem, but it's the amount that people don't know thats not true thats the problem." And the people who are dangerous are the people who who know so much thats not true and actually believe what they say. Representative Michele Bachmann qualifies for the ladder.

George Will who I like for his sharp wit and intellect about politics, sports and other issues qualifies for the former when it comes to liberalism. I'm a Liberal and damn proud of it thats how I describe my politics and it's always how I've been describing my politics since I started following politics in my late teens. I'm a Liberal Democrat because I believe in liberal democracy and thats what liberalism is about. Liberty for the individual. Not because I believe in state or that government's job is to make society equal.

Government's role is to insure that everyone has a good opportunity to reach their potential in life. Based on what they contribute to society. Not to try to manage outcomes and thats what separates Liberals from Social Democrats/Democratic Socialists. Who believe the role of government is to insure that equality of outcome is insured in society. Not equality of opportunity, which are two different things.

And what George Will is describing when he talks about liberalism, looks like socialism, which are different political ideology's from liberalism. I've never called myself a Progressive because today's definition of Progressive and perhaps in the past, even though the first eight letters in progressive spells progress and if Progressive is someone who believes in progress then I'm definitely a Progressive. But the popular definition of Progressive is someone who believes in using government to insure quality outcomes in society.

Someone who wants to use government to ensure equality of outcome in society. Which is different than equality of opportunity, thats a simple definition. But the best way to ensure equality of opportunity I believe as a Liberal, is through individual liberty. Empowering people through education and job training. So they can have the individual liberty to reach their full-potential. If I was a Socialist, I would believe in using government by empowering it to ensure equality of outcomes.

By raising taxes on people who are already doing well, to take care of the people not empower the disadvantage, but take care of the people who are disadvantage. With high tax rates on the rich and probably middle class as well. And thats George Will's whole point about government dependence. To talk about liberalism, conservatism, libertarianism, progressivism whatever it may be, it helps to know what you're talking about.

Otherwise you're quite frankly speaking out of your ass. Liberalism and progressivism or socialism, are different political ideology's and not one in the same. And Conservatives especially (Neoconservatives who are different from Conservatives) like to make Liberals look bad. By trying to make us look like Socialists. But Liberals believe in defending liberty and expanding it for people who don't have it. People who are struggling have the opportunity to become independent and make their own way life. That is what Liberals believes is a proper role of government. Not to take from the wealthy to manage the daily lives of people who are doing well. Or outlaw wealth all together so everyone is dependent on government. Which is what Socialists tend to push and are in favor of.

This is not a debate about government doing everything, or almost nothing. But instead a debate about government doing practically everything, versus limiting government to doing only what it does well. Including helping people who are snuggling achieve economic freedom for themselves. The Socialist versus Liberal debate, instead of Liberal vs Liberal, radical Liberals (who are actually Socialists and even illiberal) vs Center-Left Liberals who push for liberal democracy and a society where everyone has a quality opportunity to succeed in life on their own.

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I blog about practically everything that I'm interested in and knowledgeable about. Primarily about current affairs, news, politics and history. But for history, is not just about government and politics. But it covers those things, but entertainment, from movies to music, TV, sports, movies that are about politics and current affairs. Whether the characters are played by actors, or whether the film is in documentary form.

I'm interested in a lot of different things and spend a lot of my time learning about those things to the point that I feel the need to tell everybody what I know and think about what I have learn. Not sure if that is a good thing, or not. Since I'm a blogger, I hope that is good. Again for current affairs and news, as well as politics. But what is going on in those areas today, but also what happened in those areas in the past. History, is about teaching today's generation about what happened in the past. So we know what went well back in the day, but also what didn't work. So we know what works and what doesn't.

But again not just current affairs, news and politics. I love movies, especially classic movies. And when I'm not working and I'm at home, you can generally find me watching a movie. Or a ball game from that day, or a ball game from the past. And then if I'm really interested in what I'm seeing and I believe I'm pretty knowledgable about that, you can generally find what I learn from what I just watched up on my blog. You can physically take me away from my blog, but my mind is always there thinking about what's next for the blog. Looking for the next piece to write about.

I'm also a big fan of bios and watch a lot of them and read about people I'm interested in a lot as well. And again when I see a good bio about someone that I'm really interested in and I'm knowledgeable about, you can find what I know about that person and era up on my blog. I love documentaries, true crime, bios and bios of all kinds. Actors, politicians, athletes musicians, activists, a lot of different people.

I blog about a lot of different things. So if you're checking out my blog, but you're only interested in perhaps a few areas, you're probably not going to see a lot of what you're looking for. And end up seeing a lot of things you could probably care less about. But if you're someone who has multiple interests and knowledgable about those areas as well, I hope you check out my blog. Because I think we can learn from each other. I always welcome input to my blog. Just try to keep it professional and courteous. We can disagree with each other without trying to destroy each other. And perhaps even learn from each other.